2020-09-15
1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV
Do you feel like joining a different church where people are “more like you”? A team of missionaries to Kenya were being driven across the plains to their destination by a Masai tribal escort. En route their attention became riveted on the herds of wildebeests and zebras migrating together. Their escort explained why two massive herds of such different species would travel together. He said that while wildebeests have poor eyesight, they have a keen sense of smell, whereas zebras have good eyesight and a poor sense of smell. So together they were less vulnerable to attack because their differences compensated for their weaknesses. Paul writes, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?” (v. 17 NIV). That reminds you of those zebras and wildebeests, doesn’t it? When we join a club, we usually choose to be with people who are more or less like us. But membership in Christ’s body throws us together with people who are as different from us as a hand is from a nose. And while those differences can rub you the wrong way at times, they are differences God designed to benefit you. Zebras and wildebeests don’t have to like each other, but their survival and success depend on getting along together. Your spiritual growth doesn’t depend on agreeing with everybody, but it does depend on loving them enough to live together agreeably!
Soul food: Eze 37:1-40:9; Luke 22:14-23; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 20:26-30
1 Peter 4:10 NIV
It’s not enough to just believe that we have been given gifts and skills from God. We then need to put them into practice so that we glorify Him and advance His kingdom. It’s our responsibility to discover the gifts He has given us, and to develop them so that we can use them well. The Bible says: ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ Our gifts are not to advance ourselves and make us look good. They’re to bring God glory and bring people closer to Him. There are many reasons why we might not use our gifts. Firstly, we can let fear stop us. Using our gifts might mean stepping out of our comfort zone, and that can be scary. Secondly, we can doubt our abilities. We might think we’re not good enough to use the gift right now. Thirdly, we can be too busy to develop or use them. Life can get overwhelming, and we can often feel like we can’t fit another thing in. But we need to stop making excuses, and start using our gifts. God didn’t give us gifts just to make us interesting people, He wanted us to use them for Him. We shouldn’t let fear, doubt, or busyness get in the way of doing what He has called us to do. In the Bible, Paul told Timothy: ‘Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you’ (1 Timothy 4:14 NIV). Paul goes on to tell Timothy to be diligent and whole-hearted in his development and use of his gifts. And that’s what we need to be too.
Eze 37:1-40:9; Luke 22:14-23; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 20:26-30
1 Korintiërs 12:18 NLV
Voel jy asof jy by ‘n ander kerk moet aansluit waar mense meer soos jy is? ‘n Span sendelinge is deur ‘n lid van die Masai stam in Kenia na hulle bestemming begelei. Op pad na hulle bestemming is hulle aandag getrek deur ‘n trop wildebeeste en sebras wat saam migreer het. Hulle gids het verduidelik hoekom twee enorme troppe van verskillende spesies saam sou reis. Hy het verduidelik dat die wildebeeste slegte sig, maar ‘n uitstekende reuksintuig gehad het, terwyl die sebras goed kon sien, maar nie so goed kon ruik nie. Saam was hulle dus minder weerloos omdat hulle verskille vir hulle swakhede opgemaak het. Paulus skryf: ‘Veronderstel ‘n mens se hele liggaam sou uit ‘n oog bestaan – hoe sal jy dan hoor? Of as jou hele liggaam net een groot oor sou wees – hoe sou jy enigiets kon ruik?’ (vers 17 NLV). Dit laat jou nogal aan die sebras en wildebeeste dink, nie waar nie? Wanneer ons by ‘n klub aansluit, kies ons gewoonlik om saam met mense te wees wat min of meer soos ons is. Lidmaatskap aan Christus se liggaam gooi ons egter saam met mense wat so verskillend van ons is soos ‘n neus van ‘n oor. Daardie verskille kan jou soms irriteer, maar dit is verskille wat God daargestel het om tot voordeel vir jou te wees. Sebras en wildebeeste hoef nie van mekaar te hou nie, maar hulle oorlewing en sukses hang van hulle vermoë om oor die weg te kom, af. Jou geestelike groei hang nie daarvan af om met almal oor die weg te kom nie, maar dit hang wel daarvan af om hulle genoeg lief te hê om op ‘n aangename manier saam met hulle te kan lewe!
Sielskos: Eseg 37:1-40:9; Luk 22:14-23; Ps 78:65-72; Spr 20:26-30
2020-09-14
Romans 12:6 NCV
The Bible tells us that God has given each of us gifts. Sometimes we can think that we’re not good at anything, that we have nothing to offer. But if God’s given each of us gifts then that can’t be true. These gifts give us a purpose and a role in God’s kingdom. We don’t all have the same gifts. For example, some people are gifted musically, others are gifted at speaking and teaching. Some people are gifted in hospitality, others are gifted in art. 1 Corinthians 12 uses the analogy of a human body to explain this. ‘A person’s body is one thing, but it has many parts. Though there are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that also’ (v.12 NCV). If we’re being honest, we can probably all admit to times when we’ve been jealous of other people’s gifting. Maybe they can do something better than we can, or maybe their gift gets them more public attention than ours. When we’re feeling like that, it’s important to remember that all our gifts are from God and for God. It’s not about us. Using our gifts is all about glorifying Him, not ourselves. Paul goes on to say: ‘If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put all the parts, each one of them, in the body as he wanted them’ (vv.18-19 NCV). We can’t compare ourselves to other people because we’ve all been made to be unique and have different purposes to fulfil. We need to focus on discovering the gifts He has given us. Let’s celebrate how He has made us, and the fact that He has a unique purpose for us.
Eze 34-36; Luke 22:1-13; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 20:25
1 Korintiërs 12:25 NLV
Wanneer jy ‘n kerk waarin jy tuis voel moet kry, is die opsies legio. Tradisioneel, kontemporêr – daar is ‘n wye verskeidenheid om van te kies. Jou plek in die liggaam van Christus is egter ‘n ander saak; dit word nie deur jou bepaal nie, maar deur God. Die Bybel sê: ‘…Maar ons is almal deur die een Gees gedoop in Christus se liggaam…’ (vers 13 NLV). Wanneer jy Jesus as jou Redder aanvaar, word jy lid van sy verloste familie en vind daar “‘n wonderwerk van plasing” binne-in jou plaas. Dit is nie ‘n keuse wat jy maak nie; dis God se keuse – en dit bepaal jou geestelike identiteit. Paulus sê: ‘Toe ons gedoop is, het die Heilige Gees vir ons almal saam een liggaam gemaak. Ons is Jode, Grieke, slawe en vry mense, maar dieselfde Gees het in ons almal gekom’ (vers 13 ABA). Dit beteken dat enigiemand, op enige plek in die wêreld wat Jesus as sy Redder en Here aangeneem het, aan jou verbind is – in ‘n groter mate as wat jou eie hand aan jou gewrig verbind is. Jy het ‘n rol in verhouding met elkeen van hulle wat jy moet vertolk. God het jou nie net in sy liggaam geplaas nie, Hy het ook jou unieke rol bepaal toe Hy: ‘…dit so beskik [het] dat daar verskillende lede sal wees en dat elkeen van hulle sy eie plek in die liggaam sal hê, soos Hy dit goedvind’ (vers 18 NLV). Hy het ook vir jou sekere gawes gegee en verwag van jou om dit te gebruik om sy doelwitte te vervul (sien Romeine 12:6-8). Wanneer jy God vra om jou gawes vir jou te wys, sal Hy dit doen. Wanneer Hy dit doen, moet jy elke geleentheid gebruik om dit tot sy verheerliking aan te wend.
Sielskos: Eseg 34-36; Luk 22:1-13; Ps 78:56-64; Spr 20:25
